Rights group says defamation case has been dropped against prominent Angolan journalist

JOHANNESBURG – A human rights group says a prominent Angolan journalist, jailed for his criticism of the government, has been released.

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group said on Thursday the criminal case against Rafael Marques de Morais has been stopped. The group said the reasons for this are still unclear. Marques was released on bail.

The group's Africa director Jeffrey Smith described the apparent end of Marques' trial as a "stunning turnaround."

According to Marques' news website, Maka Angola, the journalist went on trial in March this year after a group of generals accused him of defamation. Marques wrote a book in 2011 which alleged corruption and human rights abuses carried out by the generals.